Provenance: Acquired from the artist’s family by the present owner

ABOUT THE WORK

‘The Yellow Studio’ combines all of National Artist Jerry Navarro’s most beloved elements — the happy gold tones of his atelier, the works he made in them, his famous ease (symbolized in the butaca covered casually with a scarlet floral throw) and his favorite model. The woman appears to be totally oblivious to her nudity and seems to have a humorous, almost surprised, expression on her face. A smile seems to play in her eyes. The work is remarkable in a number of ways, the first being that it is a rare figurative work situated in the Philippines. Navarro painted a series of Balinese dancers but this had no Filipino equivalent. Second, a preliminary study in almost one fluid stroke is on the reverse of the canvas. Finally, Navarro (as always playful) has created a painting within a painting — in this case, an abstract work within a representational one. Painted half a year before Navarro would meet his Maker, it shows that none of his vigor and high spirits had abated. Navarro has been described as “an artist’s artist”, having mastered both painting and sculpture. As famous in Indonesia as in the Philippines, he is one of the certified regional stars.